Due to the growing threat of an invasion of Ukraine by Russia, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by telephone on Saturday February 12 with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Mr. Blinken asserted that the diplomatic route remained ” opened “ to avoid a conflict in Ukraine, but that this required a ” de-escalation “ from Moscow, according to the State Department.
This exchange comes the day following strong statements by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan. The latter made it known that Russia was in a position to launch a major offensive “at any time”, reviving the specter of a war in Europe. A « provocation »for Mr. Lavrov, who had immediately accused the United States of wanting to provoke a conflict in Ukraine with these accusations.
More than a hundred thousand soldiers have been deployed by Russia on the Ukrainian borders. Moscow is also conducting maneuvers in the Black Sea and in Belarus, de facto encircling its pro-Western neighbor.
New telephone conversation between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin
Emmanuel Macron, who had already spoken with his Russian counterpart at the end of the week, spoke once more with Vladimir Poutine on Saturday. According to the executive, Mr. Macron warned Mr. Putin that a “sincere dialogue was not compatible with an escalation” military. The Russian president has denounced “provocative speculation” from the United States.
Saturday evening, the American president, Joe Biden, and Mr. Putin must also speak by telephone. An exchange which promises to be tense, following the declarations of MM. Blinken and Lavrov, as well as Russia’s announcement on Saturday of the detection of an American submarine in the North Pacific, not far from the Kuril Islands.
Washington has already prepared for the possibility that Moscow chooses aggression, said Mr. Blinken of Fiji on Friday, where he was attending a meeting with leaders from the Pacific region. He stressed that the United States and its allies would quickly impose heavy economic sanctions on Russia if it invaded Ukraine “in coordination with our allies and partners around the world”. “We will strengthen Ukraine’s ability to defend itself, we will strengthen our allies on the eastern wing of NATO”added the head of the American diplomacy.
The United States on Saturday ordered the withdrawal of 160 American soldiers who were training Ukrainian forces for the “reposition elsewhere in Europe”, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby announced. This decision, which testifies to a certain feverishness, was taken “out of an abundance of caution, keeping in mind the safety and security of the workforce”even if she “does not constitute a change in [la] determination [des Etats-Unis] to support the Ukrainian forces “, continued the Pentagon. These US National Guard reservists had been on rotation since 2015 to train the Ukrainian army, alongside soldiers from other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries, including Canadians and Germany.
Kiev calls not to panic
The head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kuleba, declared on Saturday that he was “extremely important to keep calm” and that it was necessary “avoid actions that destabilize the situation and sow panic”. “The Ukrainian armed forces are monitoring the situation and are ready to respond to any attack on the territorial integrity of Ukraine. »
Kyiv assured “to be in contact twenty-four hours a day with all key partners” in order to quickly receive security information. “We continue to work to lower the tension and mobilize the support of our international partners in order to keep Russia within the diplomatic framework”assured the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
US warnings of imminent Russian attack on Ukraine “cause panic and do not help” denounced, on Saturday, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine agency. “Currently, the best friend of our enemies is panic in our country”he said during a trip to the provinces.
On Saturday, in the streets of Kiev, several thousand people demonstrated their unity in the face of fears of a Russian invasion, chanting “Glory to the nation, death to the enemies” and “The Ukrainians will resist”.
Germany recommends its nationals to leave
As the US Embassy in Ukraine ordered the withdrawal of its non-essential staff on Saturday, Luxembourg advised its nationals to leave the country.
The Grand Duchy joins the long list of countries that have made similar announcements in recent days, including the United States, Japan, United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Canada.
The European Union has recommended, on Friday, to the non-essential staff of its representation in Kiev to leave Ukraine to telework from abroad. On Saturday, the airline KLM announced the suspension until further notice of flights to Ukraine following the “code red” announced earlier to Dutch travellers, meaning that it is too dangerous to travel to this country.
On his side, Russia added to the concern by announcing to reduce its diplomatic personnel present in Ukraine, arguing possible « provocations » Western countries or from Kiev.
